Cincinnati Bengals get offensive in 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft

After spending most of the year running for his life, Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a major knee injury late last season. After taking Burrow No. 1 overall last year, the Bengals made Burrow their franchise player. However, they did not do a great job of putting him in a position to succeed. That simply must change this offseason.

While they also have defensive needs that must be addressed, Cincinnati cannot be afraid to spend significant resources this offseason on the offensive side of the ball. Nothing is more important for this team than putting Burrow in a better position to succeed going forward and investing in offensive players who can help him both in free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft will be key.

Obviously, the offensive line stands out as the most obvious position to address here. The Bengals have a ton of work to do up front and will likely attack this need with multiple free-agent and draft targets. However, getting Burrow more offensive playmakers to work with would not hurt either.

In this 2021 NFL mock draft, the Cincinnati Bengals get aggressive with offensive upgrades, who will help the Bengals get the most out of their young franchise quarterback. How does it all play out? Follow along to find out.

Note: This 2021 NFL mock draft was completed using The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine.

Cincinnati Bengals 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 1, 5th overall

If Penei Sewell is on the board when the Cincinnati Bengals go on the clock at No. 5, then this is an easy pick. Sewell is a tremendous offensive tackle prospect who would help solve the Bengals’ single biggest need on the roster. If Sewell is gone, like he is in this 2021 NFL mock draft, this decision gets interesting.

Trading down could certainly be an option for the team and attacking their offensive line need by taking Rashawn Slater here would also make sense. However, getting Burrow an impact passing game weapon is also tempting. A true wide receiver prospect would certainly make sense, but let’s get a little wild and give them Kyle Pitts.

You can call Kyle Pitts a tight end if you want, but the reality of the situation is that he is a dynamic offensive weapon who can impact the game in a variety of ways. Pitts is an absolute matchup nightmare all over the field, proving to be too big and long for most defensive backs and too fast and athletic for most linebackers.

He can make plays in the passing game when lined up inline, out of the slot and even out wide. Pitts is not the greatest blocker at this point of his career, but no team should be drafting him and looking for value in that part of his game. Pitts is a willing blocker who will likely grow in that area as he ages, but he is essentially a wide receiver prospect who would undoubtedly bring massive upside to the Bengals’ offensive attack.

Improving the offensive line is an absolute must for Cincinnati this offseason, but with Sewell off of the board, taking the best available player who can also help their young quarterback would be a nice back-up option.